Additive Manufacturing worked example

Powder Refresh Rate at 35% required refresh rate: a worked example

Push required refresh rate up to 35% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. a powder bed technician or materials engineer needs to check virgin powder refresh before a build

The inputs for this scenario

  • Virgin powder added: 18 kg (unchanged)
  • Total powder blend: 60 kg (unchanged)
  • Required refresh rate: 35 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 30)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Powder refresh rate = virgin powder added รท total powder blend) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 30 % for actual refresh rate, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5 points for gap to target.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 18 kg for virgin powder added.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 60 kg for total powder blend.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where required refresh rate sits at 30% and the headline result is 30 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 30 %.
  • It divides virgin powder added by total powder blend to give the actual refresh rate, then subtracts that from your required rate to show the gap in percentage points. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Actual refresh rate: 30 % (headline result)
  • Gap to target: 5 points
  • Virgin powder added: 18 kg
  • Total powder blend: 60 kg

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Powder Refresh Rate calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.